Any advantage to upgrading to 6 inch gutters vs. 5 inch?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the builder, you ought to lookup the "appeal to authority" fallacy. Just because you built a few houses doesn't mean you're right or even make you an expert. All it means is you built some houses..

Bottom line is that this board is a really, really bad place to get any sort of technical, or god forbid, investment advice. Case in point above - an actual builder, who apparently makes his living building things and relies on word of mouth and reputation for his business, tells someone not to worry about it and uses the example of his OWN HOME which he built and where we could logically assume he wouldn't cut corners and he is shouted down by Gladys from Cleveland Park.

This board is no place to be a service provider. Builders cut corners and don't do quality work, realtors do nothing to earn their fees, investment advisers and financial planners don't earn their fees, delivery people don't deserve tips because it should be part of their salary - This board paints everyone with a big broad brush whereby nobody deserves anything for providing a quality service. Anybody who pays for these services is a fool or worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bottom line is that this board is a really, really bad place to get any sort of technical, or god forbid, investment advice. Case in point above - an actual builder, who apparently makes his living building things and relies on word of mouth and reputation for his business, tells someone not to worry about it and uses the example of his OWN HOME which he built and where we could logically assume he wouldn't cut corners and he is shouted down by Gladys from Cleveland Park.

While this board is undoubtedly very negative and cynical, there are valid points buried amongst the garbage. Did you read what the builder said? "There is no reason in the world to use 6" gutters." Sorry, but that's simply wrong. I've seen builders make all kinds of mistakes or not do things to a higher standard. Just because they build homes, doesn't mean it's done right or correctly. Heck, I've seen the work of some "premium builders" and seen mistakes. A builder is not an expert in every trade.. Bottom line, go talk to actual TRADES people with plenty of experience and you'll see that 6" K style gutters are not uncommon and have plenty of benefits for a marginal price increase.

[Anonymous]

Bump. Can one keep the 5 inch gutters but install larger downspouts (3x4 instead of 2x3)?

[Anonymous]

I just added 24-inch gutters to my house. Really worth it in these torrential rains. Plus they double as a moat in case of invasion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just added 24-inch gutters to my house. Really worth it in these torrential rains. Plus they double as a moat in case of invasion.

[Anonymous]

As mentioned above, it's the downspout size that matters. The 5" gutters can catch anything that comes off the roof. At best, the 6" gutters can hold 20% more water within the gutter.

Of course within the gutter is not where you want the water. Bigger downspouts will drain it must faster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As mentioned above, it's the downspout size that matters. The 5" gutters can catch anything that comes off the roof. At best, the 6" gutters can hold 20% more water within the gutter.

Of course within the gutter is not where you want the water. Bigger downspouts will drain it must faster.


A 6 inch gutter holds about 40% more than a 5 inch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To the builder, you ought to lookup the "appeal to authority" fallacy. Just because you built a few houses doesn't mean you're right or even make you an expert. All it means is you built some houses..

Bottom line is that this board is a really, really bad place to get any sort of technical, or god forbid, investment advice. Case in point above - an actual builder, who apparently makes his living building things and relies on word of mouth and reputation for his business, tells someone not to worry about it and uses the example of his OWN HOME which he built and where we could logically assume he wouldn't cut corners and he is shouted down by Gladys from Cleveland Park.

This board is no place to be a service provider. Builders cut corners and don't do quality work, realtors do nothing to earn their fees, investment advisers and financial planners don't earn their fees, delivery people don't deserve tips because it should be part of their salary - This board paints everyone with a big broad brush whereby nobody deserves anything for providing a quality service. Anybody who pays for these services is a fool or worse.

Well said, PP. I'm with the builder on this one. No reason at all for the builder to not tell the truth and every reason in the world for the builder to lie to get clients to spend more money. If he says there is no need for the gutters AND he gives a reasonable explanation then that is good enough for me. As a point of veracity to us, our roofer also has told us that the bigger gutters are not necessary and don't waste our money buying them for either our own house or any of our rentals.

[Anonymous]

https://www.brothersgutters.com/blog/2014/08/23/determin-need-6-oversized-gutters/

[Anonymous]

Architect here, who has done extensive research on 5 and 6 inc gutters, reviewing downspout locations and roofline issues on issues related to my own house. We have a steep slope and lots of overflow due to undersized gutters and stuff plastic gutter guards from the last owners.

Our decision: 6 inch all the way....

[Anonymous]

Architect here, who has done extensive research on 5 and 6 inc gutters, reviewing downspout locations and roofline issues on issues related to my own house. We have a steep slope and lots of overflow due to undersized gutters and stuff plastic gutter guards from the last owners.

Our decision: 6 inch all the way....

[Anonymous]

First, it's quite amazing -- and saddening -- to see how the discourse on such a basic topic as "gutters" can be made so unpleasant by some respondents. Not sure what might have happened to some of you along the way to make you so ready to attack other people or make disparaging "broad-brush" statements about anyone's profession, but it is disgraceful. To all those recklessly unpleasant respondents, I strongly encourage you to tone down the rhetoric and, if necessary, please kindly seek professional help. Life will be much more pleasant for all, including yourself.

Now back to the excellent question as initiated:

Gutter systems should be sized and otherwise designed considering the size and other characteristics of your roof, as well as the climate zone within which you live (including, of course, reasonably expected rainfall rates in YOUR local climate.) In the Mid-Atlantic Region of the U.S., I personally found that upgrading from 5-inch-wide to 6-inch-wide gutters on a single-family residence was very helpful with capturing and guiding all but the heaviest rains away from the house.

Be sure to also use the larger 3x4 downspouts.

And -- VERY IMPORTANT -- make certain that the small transition pieces installed to connect the horizontal gutter runs to the vertical downspouts are ALSO of the larger size.

At my house, the gutter technician actually installed a small-diameter transition piece (appropriate for the smaller 2x3 downspouts) between our larger 6-inch-wide gutters and the larger 3-inch x 4-inch downspouts. I imagine everyone can guess where the gutter system clogs on occasion: Yes, right at those way-undersized $2 transition pieces. No doubt, this was a big "Opps" on the part of the gutter tech, but mistakes do happen, and perhaps he simply did not get appropriate training. No worries. Just needed to call them back and have them make it right at no extra charge. Not a big problem, and certainly no need to get angry with anyone (or everyone). Better yet, I think everyone learned something useful in the process.

Ultimate Lesson: Just be vigilant during both the contracting and installation phases to ensure all components are appropriately CONFIGURED, SIZED and MATCHED to achieve a balanced, well-performing, and cost-effective gutter system. A little thought (and kindness) goes along way.

Peace --- and free-flowing gutters --- to all!!!

[Anonymous]

We recently replaced our ancient sagging gutters on our DC rowhouse. 6” gutters all the way. The rain here is getting worse and worse, with heavier amounts in shorter amounts of time. The recent storm in late June had 3” of rain in one hour and our new 6” gutter system handled it beautifully.

Climate change is real and will only get more intense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To the builder, you ought to lookup the "appeal to authority" fallacy. Just because you built a few houses doesn't mean you're right or even make you an expert. All it means is you built some houses..

Bottom line is that this board is a really, really bad place to get any sort of technical, or god forbid, investment advice. Case in point above - an actual builder, who apparently makes his living building things and relies on word of mouth and reputation for his business, tells someone not to worry about it and uses the example of his OWN HOME which he built and where we could logically assume he wouldn't cut corners and he is shouted down by Gladys from Cleveland Park.

This board is no place to be a service provider. Builders cut corners and don't do quality work, realtors do nothing to earn their fees, investment advisers and financial planners don't earn their fees, delivery people don't deserve tips because it should be part of their salary - This board paints everyone with a big broad brush whereby nobody deserves anything for providing a quality service. Anybody who pays for these services is a fool or worse.

Well said, PP. I'm with the builder on this one. No reason at all for the builder to not tell the truth and every reason in the world for the builder to lie to get clients to spend more money. If he says there is no need for the gutters AND he gives a reasonable explanation then that is good enough for me. As a point of veracity to us, our roofer also has told us that the bigger gutters are not necessary and don't waste our money buying them for either our own house or any of our rentals.

I'm also with the builder on this one. He also has at least a lot more data points than the homeowner, and I agree that since the cost to him to go with 6" is pretty minimal he would have gone with that if that was actually necessary.

[Anonymous]

I'm a registered architect (and my dad was a GC whom I built houses with while I was in high school & college). depending on the roof size & pitch the cost difference between 5" or 6" gutters may be only $1000 to $1500 dollars. Not much of a cost difference. And when you compare that with the improved roof drainage, less maintenance, etc. its well worth upgrading to 6". You'll also need to make sure the downspouts are upsized, and that there's proper "fall" or drainage to each downspout. I'm not sold on the gutter guards either. Many of these decisions are common sense so take the time to investigate what work will be done & what materials will be used. Don't feel pressured to make quick decisions.


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